By MARTHA KANG and KOMO-TV STAFF

Published 10:00 pm, Monday, May 31, 2010

Prosecutors have accused a Roosevelt High School junior of sexually assaulting a special education student in a girls' bathroom on campus.

Jose R. Reyes, 18, has been charged with third-degree rape in the incident that took place on May 18.

Reyes, a level-2 sex offender, sexually touched his 14-year-old girlfriend despite her requests for him to stop, according to the statement of probable cause. The touching caused pain to the girl, who has developmental delays, prosecutors said.

The alleged victim alerted the school counselor who, in turn, called authorities. Reyes was arrested and booked into jail on May 20. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

Reyes became a registered sex offender as a minor after pleading guilty to a charge of indecent liberties with force in 2007 in King County. The conviction stemmed from a series of incidents at the Greenwood Public Library in North Seattle, where Reyes lured potential victims, all girls between 5 to 11, with promises of Yu-Gi-Oh children's playing cards, investigators said.

In 2008, Reyes was also found guilty of third-degree assault with sexual motivation for crimes he committed when he was 15.

"Based on the first case that we prosecuted back in 2007, there may be some indication there are some mental disabilities on his behalf as well," said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff of the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Patti Spencer, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools, said the King County Sheriff's Office alerted the school about Reyes' sex offender status. However, Spencer claims appropriate measures were not taken because the sheriff's office did not alert the district as well.

"Yes, the school was notified; the district was not," she said. "We did not receive that information at central office. What happens when we receive that information at central office (is) there's a detailed assessment done, agreement about an appropriate placement of the student, and safety and behavior plans."

When asked why school officials didn't alert the district, Spencer said, "It's very clear that we will need to have a conversation with the other agencies involved to ensure there's absolute clarity about the flow of information."

Sgt. John Urquhart said the King County Sheriff's office is only required by law to alert the school's principal, not the district. He said it's then up to the principal to notify the district, if necessary.

A list of sex offenders is available on the King County Sheriff's Office website, and court documents on Reyes are open to the public.